


Fulfilled Promises

by alisayamin (sh_04e)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Crying, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Near Future, Platonic Soulmates, Promises, Spiritual, Suffering, Tickling, Waiting, Wishes, its just really sweet at times but it also hurts, longing mikleo, maotelus - Freeform, mentions of other charas, quiet mikleo, takes place after toz ending but not the last ending credit scene, they are both alone, yet together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 14:58:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8253229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sh_04e/pseuds/alisayamin
Summary: A few decades ago, Sorey would have said how weird it was to be able to just watch his friends instead of joining them. Well, he was still there metaphysically. He knows it. But they didn’t. It’s been about 49275 days since Sorey last spoke to them. He had nothing better to do so he counted the days since their last battle. (How I believed the story continued after the game ended)





	

 

A few decades ago, Sorey would have said how weird it was to be able to just watch his friends instead of joining them. Well, he was still there metaphysically. He knows it. But they didn’t. 

It’s been about 49275 days since Sorey last spoke to them. He had nothing better to do so he counted the days since their last battle. 

Rose did an amazing job after him. Alongside Alisha, they accomplished so much together to cleanse the world and instill unity between the seraphs and the humans. It wasn’t easy. And Sorey could only watch it all unfold. Although Sorey was a human (or was), he felt as though the years throughout the two women’s lives were very short. 

His seraphic comrades ensured that both Rose and Alisha went in peace and without pain. They were always thoughtful of the two ladies. And they never stopped even after their deaths. 

After more than a century of purifying thousands of the nearby lands, they agreed to separate to purify more lands. At this point, it was clear whom Sorey would trail after. In his spiritual body, Sorey happily went with his best friend.

Mikleo was quiet. Not that Sorey would expect him to talk to himself but he was so... quiet. Mikleo slowly learned new techniques and he’d mix more than one technique for a perfect combo. He was getting so much better. 

The first thing that changed about Mikleo was his hair. It grew longer one morning after Mikleo woke up from a nap. Seriously, seraphs didn’t need sleep but Mikleo did out of habit and that morning, his bed hair was two times worse than usual because his hair got longer. 

Mikleo was so weirded out that Sorey laughed to himself. He couldn’t help it. At one point, Sorey laughed so hard, Mikleo looked in his direction in shock. Sorey froze. It had been almost two centuries. And that was the first time someone ever looked directly at Sorey.

“Mikleo? Can you-... Can you hear me?” Sorey asked almost desperately. 

But Mikleo looked away, as though realizing that it couldn’t have been what he thought it was. 

Sorey bit the inside of his cheeks. So much for hoping for the impossible. 

 

* * *

 

Mikleo was quiet. No matter how many places he visited, or how many people he spoke to, he never said more than a few sentences. But it wasn’t rude silence, just simply observation. 

Sorey realized that Mikleo often did that. He didn’t speak his mind with his mouth but through his eyes. And it was the best feeling realizing that only Sorey understood Mikleo’s eye language.

His beautiful lilac pupils would dilate when he explored new ruins, or see something amazing. And Mikleo had a few notebooks he carried around to write about the little things he had seen and found. Sorey wondered if he did it for when Sorey would come back like he promised. 

 

* * *

 

Mikleo was a hoarder. Oh god, he was the best kind of hoarder. He bought and kept the weirdest and most intriguing things (only the ones he knew Sorey would like). Sorey often mistook Mikleo being able to hear him because Mikleo took every item Sorey pointed at; every gem in a lake, every rare item in ruins and every unique items at various markets. 

And Mikleo kept them in a different location throughout the lands he had traveled to. Sometimes it was a small house, sometimes a shrub, sometimes a tree, sometimes a cave. And the water seraph would put up strong barriers around these safe zones to keep the items safe. 

Sorey smiled. Maybe one day, Mikleo would bring him to all these places. Sorey had already started planning on how to act surprised. 

 

* * *

 

Mikleo was quiet. He never asked for help. He rarely cried when in pain. He was... alone. Sure, Edna, Lailah and Zaveid came by to check on him every once in a while but Mikleo was almost always, alone. 

Sorey didn’t miss how Mikleo watched every pair of humans or seraphs that resembled their relationship. Again, Mikleo was quiet as he watched. But his eyes were longing and distant. 

It was at these times that Sorey hurt the most. Because no matter how many times Sorey leaned on Mikleo’s back or held his hand, Mikleo felt nothing. Sorey had not figured out how to get a reaction from his best friend like that time he had laughed out loud. 

 

* * *

 

The second time Mikleo changed was almost too drastic. He was in so much pain after fighting a massive hellion. Sorey could not tell why. 

It’s not like Mikleo had gotten hit. On the contrary, Mikleo practically destroyed the hellion in two blows of his new water-ice artes he had recently mastered. 

That day was the only day Mikleo had called for help. He couldn’t move. His whole body hurt. He sent three wisps to find Lailah, Edna and Zaveid. They came in less than a few minutes. 

Lailah looked the same. Edna looked...stunning. When did she grow so much? And her umbrella was different. Zaveid wore clothes now. 

“Mikleo!” Lailah shouted.

Sorey expected a ‘Meebo’ snark but apparently Mikleo’s condition was actually bad so even Edna skipped the sass.

They took Mikleo to a nearby seraph village, a friend of gramps was the elder seraph there and he took them in with a smile. He took one look at Mikleo and told the others not to worry. 

Mikleo was suffering ‘body retardation’, meaning he had too much strength and power stuffed inside his small body. 

While personally treating the water seraph, the elder asked Mikleo, “This process should be instinctual. Yet, I have a feeling you already know what needs to be done. Why are you holding yourself back?”

Mikleo’s answer made Sorey’s chest ache. 

“I don’t want to turn into someone he wouldn’t recognize...” 

The elder smiled warmly, like how gramps used to smile, “I’m sure he wouldn’t like you in pain either.” The elder knew exactly who Mikleo was referring to.

There was no point in denying that statement. After the elder left, Mikleo sat up and undressed completely. Then he held his chest, gritted his teeth and groaned in pain. Sorey was worried at first but then he stood sentry as Mikleo evolved. 

His body grew bigger in size, his shoulder-length hair extended further down his hips and his voice changed slightly. It didn’t seem to be over just yet but Mikleo curled his body and begged, “Please be enough.”

He was suppressing his growth. He could have grown even more but he didn’t want it to. After a few minutes, Mikleo fell back on the makeshift leaf bed and sighed. It was over. 

Edna was the first to burst in, “Look Meebo, if you don’t change right this instant, I will-” Her eyes widened. 

“Your hair is like a lion’s mane.” she smirked and teased.

What was Sorey expecting from her anyway? Later, Lailah and Zaveid came in as well and they were all generally happy for Mikleo. 

“We need to get you new clothes~!” Lailah chimed happily. 

Zaveid held out his hand for a high five, “Welcome to the grown-ups club.”

Mikleo smiled weakly from the transition and gave Zaveid’s palm a half-ass slap.

Sorey was still standing there, gaping. Mikleo always had this charm to his face but the evolved Mikleo was... stunning. Mikleo was so...

“...beautiful..” Sorey unknowingly said out loud.  

When Mikleo stood up, his head snapped in Sorey’s direction like that time before. 

This time, instead of being desperate or hopeful, Sorey smiled and sincerely repeated, “You look beautiful, Mikleo.”

Mikleo’s eyes widened slowly, his new voice still hoarse as he called out, “...Sorey?”

The room became quiet. Three centuries had passed since Mikleo last said that name. Three centuries was the time Mikleo had waited. And it was the second time he heard the slight whispering voice of his best friend. 

Lailah, Edna and Zaveid quickly became worried as Mikleo had spoken to nothing but thin air. They couldn’t hear Sorey. They never could. 

With a simple wave of her hand, Lailah cast a spell strong enough to put Mikleo to sleep. Zaveid caught his falling body and laid Mikleo back on the bed. They had a mixture look of sadness for Mikleo. Later, they left him for him to get some rest. 

Sorey watched Mikleo sleep with a smile on his face. He knew his words went across. And he hoped Mikleo remembered it when he woke up. 

 

* * *

 

Mikleo’s new clothes fitted him. Although the 6-capes were a little over-the-top, it was recommended by the seraph who designed his main clothing so it was fine. Mikleo had personally stated what he wanted his clothes to look like. 

And Sorey realized that... it was a little similar to Sorey’s taste. But it was still ‘Mikleo’. Another thing that Sorey realized was how Mikleo fondly rubbed the belts on the sides of his previous clothing. He had them sewed on as a medium-protection against Sorey’s relentless tickle attacks that he knew would happen every once in a while. Mikleo was _very_ ticklish. 

In the end, Mikleo went without belts. 

Sorey was fine at first as he walked behind Mikleo like he always did. But then he stopped. The reason why Mikleo didn’t need the belts was because Sorey was no longer there to tickle him. And he didn’t need the belts because Mikleo had no idea how long it would take for Sorey to come back. 

Sorey wondered if Mikleo was disheartened from the wait but he was reassured when Mikleo quietly entered one of the seraph houses. He took out a feather from his pocket, one that resembled Sorey’s. Mikleo smiled gently as he looked at it. 

“I won’t forget.” Mikleo whispered. 

Then he tied that single feather to a string around his hip. The words Mikleo heard Sorey say, was nothing but encouragement for the water seraph. 

 

* * *

 

During fights, Mikleo was never distracted. He was always focused and with his new body, he was able to project even more powerful artes. With the humans and seraphs slowly uniting, Mikleo helped to write plenty of books during his journey. 

He wrote about Sorey, Rose, Alisha and the rest of the seraphs in their team. To avoid more lies from spreading about the last two shepherds, Mikleo wrote dozens of books to clarify the truth. His name gained immense popularity since then. 

After being known by many humans, Mikleo participated in various history classes to conduct special lectures. After seeing how open-minded the new generation of humans were, the seraphs from the mountains started coming down. Now that they had both acknowledged each other, the peace between both beings increased even more. 

Mikleo spent a few decades among the humans, helping them built new machines and equipment that benefited all. Mikleo learned even more human culture and he smiled a lot more than Sorey remembered. 

In recent years, the amount of hellions had reduced tremendously. Even more so, when the seraphs and humans started living amongst each other. The humans were generally happy. And the seraphs were kind and helpful to the evolution of men. 

Every time Lailah, Edna or Zaveid came by to see how Mikleo was doing, they’d tease about his books and sappy writing. 

Sorey agreed so much. He wondered who was the worse writer between them. But he was sure Mikleo couldn’t beat his poems. 

 

* * *

 

Sorey never mentioned it but he was...tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of watching. He wanted to be there. He wanted to stand beside Mikleo. He wanted so much. It had been more than 200,000 days. And Mikleo’s smiled pained him because he wasn’t the cause of it, nor was he able to feel the same joy. 

But Sorey had almost forgotten to see Mikleo’s eyes. When he remembered to look, he realized it was still there; that longing and distant look in those lilac pupils. Sorey was suffering but so was Mikleo. Sorey could see Mikleo but Mikleo could not see him. He didn’t know which was worse. 

By hook or by crook, Sorey had to find a way back. 

Only, he didn’t know how to. He had tried over the past few centuries, endlessly but there wasn’t a single sign for Sorey to use as a hint. 

Suddenly, Sorey felt something pulling him. Being someone who could not be touched, it was an extremely weird sensation. The force grew stronger and stronger until Sorey couldn’t fight it anymore. He called out for Mikleo one last time before he was completely pulled away and he blacked out. 

 

* * *

 

 

Mikleo left the human community to explore the ruins nearby. He had been there before. Many times. Everything was still the same. 

The same cracks, the same lava flow. It was very nostalgic. 

 

* * *

 

Pain, was not something Sorey expected to feel the moment he regained consciousness. Maotelus had the bright idea of dropping him in front of a ruin entrance of all places. 

Sorey had just spent a few days speaking with Maotelus. It was a miracle how every hellion in the world had been purified by various seraphs and the new hope that spread in the lands promised a bright future for everyone. 

As such, Maotelus offered one request from Sorey for a price equivalent in exchange. 

Sorey smiled and chose without hesitation.

At the ruin entrance, Sorey stood up, dusted himself and ran inside. He could feel Mikleo nearby. He just knew it. 

 

* * *

 

Mikleo turned around dramatically. He thought he heard something. Like something dropping on the ground for no reason. He chose to ignore it eventually. As he explored deeper into the ruin, he came across the beautiful crystal-like room. 

Its beauty was still mesmerizing even then. Mikleo walked around it with a smile. He couldn’t wait to show it all to Sorey. Mikleo missed him dearly. 

Mikleo thought,  _‘If he were here right now, he’d probably set off a tra-’_

Suddenly, Mikleo was falling. 

 

* * *

 

Sorey was lost in that freaking ruin. Where was he? Had he been in it before? Why was it so hard?

Sorey huffed, “Okay, get a grip. Use your Mikleo senses.” Sorey closed his eyes and concentrated, “Probably turn right.”

True enough, there Mikleo was, about a floor below Sorey. Sorey was standing at a niche on higher ground from where Mikleo was standing, admiring a gemstone on a crystal wall. 

Instead of rushing to his best friend, Sorey leaned to his left, admiring how beautiful Mikleo was. But, being the idiot he was, he didn’t realize that he had leaned on a trap-trigger, until he felt his shoulder fall in a little as the trigger stone moved inwards. The ruin grumbled with that familiar sound.  

“Crap.” 

And of course, it had to be a trap that was right below where Mikleo was standing. 

Sorey jumped with a strength that was foreign to him but he was thankful nonetheless as he grabbed Mikleo’s hand on time. 

It was... so strange to finally be able to hold Mikleo. And the look on Mikleo’s face. That gentle smile that was reserved only for Sorey. Mikleo called out his name and it was the best thing to hear it again. 

Sorey pulled Mikleo back up and they tumbled on top of each other. They laughed. A duet that had never been heard in many centuries. 

Sorey rolled them over so that he was on top. He smirked, “Missed me?”

“Why would I miss an idiot like you?”

“Oh. Sorry about that.” Sorey looked back to the hole Mikleo had fell in.

Mikleo looked dumbfounded but then he shouted, “THAT WAS _YOU_?!”

“Hahaha!” Sorey laughed as he avoided Mikleo’s flailing limbs. In midst of it all, Sorey’s hand brushed Mikleo’s hip and the water seraph froze. 

One look was all it took for Mikleo to say, “No. Sorey. Don’t you dar-”

Sorey started tickling Mikleo and it made the water seraph laugh to no end. Tears gathered in Mikleo’s eyes as he tried to stop Sorey while still laughing. It was happy at first, like their usual tickle fights, but then Mikleo’s arms stopped trying to block Sorey’s hands. Instead, Mikleo used them to cover his face. 

Sorey slowly stopped and watched as Mikleo’s body shook for a different reason. 

“Mikleo?”

Mikleo’s laugh still trailed softly but each laugh ended with a wet gasp. 

Sorey gently pried Mikleo’s arms from his face. That was when Sorey was shown a side of Mikleo he had only seen when they were kids. 

Mikleo’s whole body wrecked with each sob and endless tears that rolled down from his eyes. He was crying like Sorey had never seen before. It came to Sorey’s knowledge that after being by Mikleo’s side throughout the past centuries, not once did Mikleo cry. All those years worth of unspoken pain and loneliness finally came through.  

Sorey wiped the edge of Mikleo’s eyes with his thumbs, catching his tears. He smiled at his crying best friend. And then he hugged Mikleo close. Sorey buried his face in Mikleo’s hair as Mikleo returned the hug. 

Sorey absorbed Mikleo's tremors as he whispered sincerely, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for making you wait so long, Mikleo.”

Mikleo mumbled something along the lines of Sorey being an idiot. 

Sorey laughed softly and then squeezed Mikleo as hard as Mikleo was squeezing him. It was strange but Sorey enjoyed the warm tears that wet his shoulder. It reminded him that it was all real. He was home. He was with his one and only who waited centuries for his return. 

 

* * *

 

_Legend tells of the shepherd’s lone selfish wish to the pure dragon that shared his vessel. In return for all the memories he ever had, he wanted a new vessel, one that would match his awaited one._

_The shepherd’s wish was granted. But the pure dragon, no matter how hard it tried, could not remove one being from the shepherd’s memory. As the dragon’s gratitude to the shepherd and the person in question, it allowed this memory to retain._

_The shepherd was reborn as a new being and proceeded to live prosperously with the person who refused to budge from his memory._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I chose platonic soulmates with this one because... I don't know, I never feel the necessity to force them to be a couple or anything when its regarding canonverse. Coupling is like our human standard. Sorey and Mikleo have their own standard where nothing matters but each other and I just-- don't know how to explain that but yeah. Anyway, everything in this fic is just based on the tidbits that we got about the ending and some meta regarding mikleo and sorey and also some imagination on my part. This fic has been in my head since I finished the game lol
> 
> HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT


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